A Way With Words
by invisibilitea
Summary: When Dib goes missing, he leaves a note. A note that insists that he needs to be saved. Zim takes it upon himself to do this task. Slight ZaDf, maybe ZaDr.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All materials belong to their respected owners, and I own noting but the idea for this fic.

Enjoy

A Way With Words

Prologue

Dib wasn't at school that day.

An ordinary person might have passed it off as a common sickness, which he would be back in a few days, still feeling crappy, but no longer sick.

Zim new better.

That's why he snuck into his enemy's room under the cover of total darkness.

You, as the reader, might be thinking, 'Hey, that's a bit creepy!' To this, I, as the storyteller, would reply that 'Yes, it is creepy, but it can't be helped.'

In Dib's room, he found no evidence, but a slip of notebook paper with a short note scribbled upon it. This he tucked safely in his pak, not wanting to lose it.

He then made his way back to his base, where he would go to his laboratory, and read the note.

Anyone-

Please send help. I am trapped in an alternate dimension (which, by the way, is NOT in my head), where some sort of organization is going to erase all of my memories and replace them with new ones. Heck, I wouldn't even care if you sent Zim! But anyways, SEND HELP. Once my memories are replaced, I'm supposed to love writing about….whatever…. so look for my signature! Oh yeah, whoever reads this, please tell Zim that I-

Whatever came next wasn't there. The scrawl had trailed off into incoherent scribbles. He was probably torn away from his paper.

Zim sighed. It wasn't that he cared for the Dib-Human, but whatever captured him had to be stopped. Zim remembered what had happened when he had lost the human the first time. He shuddered, not wanting to recall the experience.

"Computer!" Zim called, "Scan all surrounding dimensions for the Dib-Stink,"

His computer grumbled at him, but did it anyway, and soon an image popped up on the screen. It was of eight circles surrounding a square. One of the circles had a blinking red light in it.

"Is there any way that we can get to this alternate dimension?"

"There's supposed to be an aligning tomorrow evening. Fly your ship directly into it and make the hardest right turn that you can," The computer replied.

Zim gave his best evil laugh.

He was going on a road trip. A very _very_ long road trip.


	2. Chapter 1

A Way With Words

Chapter One

The next day, Zim didn't go to school. Instead, he prepared for his trip. He double checked that he had everything. He then checked it again. And again. Quite honestly, he couldn't stop obsessing over it.

That evening, he stared out the top window of his base, looking for the right moment to strike. He kept his eyes away from the sun, he knew that the eclipse could blind him. Then he would be utterly useless to the mission and his task.

The world outside of his house suddenly turned a dark orange. It was time.

He called GIR and clambered into his cruiser. He then opened the hatch above him and began his ascent.

"GIR, I'm going to need you to be my eyes. If I look directly at the eclipse, I will lose my sight." Zim ordered.

The robot simply gave a short "Okie-Dokie" and stared out the front window of the cruiser while Zim got his last look at the world he had inhabited for that short amount of time.

Sensing the importance of the matter, GIR took its job seriously for once. He told Zim to turn left and they were flying straight at the sun.

And then, it went dark.

Zim could feel that.

He made his right turn and his world was light again. He opened his eyes to find a world just like the one he had left.

He landed his ship in a small clearing in the forest. He put on his disguise before anyone, if they were around, would notice.

He walked quickly out of the forest. He had left GIR behind at the ship, as not to become a disturbance. He would have to be very careful on this mission. When he came to the small town that he had known, Zim was struck with amazement. The city was in ruins, with fires here and there. At one end, The Massive stood tall, larger than life.

"Oh… _wow_ …"

He stood in silence, taking in the world before him.

He then snuck his way towards this world's base.

Zim cautiously snuck up to the door of his alternate self, he began to regret his decision. He knew about the paradoxes that it would cause if he interacted with an alternate version of himself. But he was willing to take that risk.

He knocked on the door and waited.

The door creaked open and a figure peered out at Zim. The door opened fully and someone looking almost like him stared at him.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The other asked.

"We need to talk," Zim replied, mentally comparing their voices.

He pushed past the other him, walked inside the base, and sat down on the lumpy pink couch.

"You didn't answer my questions,"

"Well, to make things... simple, I am someone that you know very well. And I already told you what I want."

"Tell me your name,"

Zim took this opportunity to do what he did best. Yell.

"I AM ZIM you worthless Irken being!"

Wait… He just called himself worthless.

The other him sat down on the couch next to him.

"That's….Impossible. You can't be… Me,"

"Oh I am me. Just from another place,"

"What do you want to know?"

"Where is the Dib-stink?"

The other Zim scoffed.

"Dib? They killed him long ago. If you want to see him, go to the cemetary,"

"What?"

Zim stared at the other in disbelief.

"They killed him,"

Zim resisted the urge to punch the other one.

"Well, he said he was trapped in _this_ dimension,"

"I haven't seen him,"

"Right. How did you… conquer this planet?"

"I didn't. The tallest came here on their own accord. They called me to the Massive and had me witness the boy's death. He begged and begged me to save him. Quite honestly, I wanted to. We were perfect enemies, don't you think?"

"The best,"

Both invaders had a small remnant of their cocky smile on their faces.

"I… sort of wish that he was still here,"

"We don't believe in wishes,"

The other hung his head.

"I know,"

"Do you have an idea of where my dimension's Dib would be?"

"Possibly… His old house,"

"Thank you for the information… Zim,"

At this he left the base and stalked out of the yard.

The Tallest had killed Dib. That thought preyed on his mind until he got to the ruined house.

He stepped through the doorway, spotting the door that had once occupied this place in splinters. Zim walked up the stairs, having to jump a few to get to the top. He looked in all of the doorways, none of them looking quite right. He then came to a locked door. Zim busted it open, bruising his right shoulder in the process.

"Ouch," He growled, cradling the wound.

He searched the room, again finding nothing. He came to the desk and found a sheet of paper, this time with a longer note.

If anyone is here-

IF you are reading this, I am alive. They are going to wipe my brain in ten minutes, and I am going to live at the following address. Please, come and find me, and please leave notes for me. I might still have some of my memories after the process, and I may be able to understand what you are trying to tell me. There's a small chance of this happening, but let's just hope for the best. I hope to see you soon.

-Dib

Zim read the note and laughed at his success. He turned the paper over and read the address, still laughing. The Dib was alive and Zim knew where to find him. He would later on consider this to be the best start to a mission that he had ever had.

Hello! If you have read the prologue, I apologize for the typo that was in there. Please forgive me! IF you liked the story, you can give me tips on what to include! You can also continue reading, as reading is good for the human brain. Thanks!

-Aerostripe


	3. Chapter 2

A Way With Words

Chapter 2

Zim stealthily made his way back to the Voot cruiser.

Or, at least he tried to be stealthy.

He was _almost_ shot at one point.

And _almost_ burned to death.

And _almost_ killed by giant mutant hamsters.

Almost.

Anyways, he got back to the Voot to find GIR drawing in the dirt with a stick. Luckily, the little robot was wearing his dog costume. Zim removed the address from his pak and stared at the paper. This would begin the conquest to bring the Dib back to his dimension. He climbed into the Voot and slid the paper into a small vertical slot in the ship's console. The Voot shuddered and Zim called GIR into the ship. They flew east, staring down at the countless fires and signs of destruction.

About an hour later, they flew over a wall and found a section of the land untouched by the Irken reach. They landed in a back-alley, parking the Voot securely behind a dumpster.

"You stay here, GIR. We don't want to wake the entire planet," Zim stated before walking out of the alley and rounding a corner.

"Okey- Dokie!" GIR saluted and reclaimed his seat in the corner of the Voot. It would be a long night without any TV to watch.

Zim walked a darkened street, clutching the address in his left hand. He made sure to look at every house number, every street. It was nearing midnight when an odd feeling came over him.

He shuddered. Something wasn't right. He glanced to both his right and his left, seeing nothing. He stared in front of him. He was in the middle of a cul-de-sac. He stared at the house number in front of him and compared it to the one he was holding. _He had found it_.

Zim circled the house, looking for any sign of the Dib. Finding nothing, he began to doubt that Dib had given him the right house number. Until a light flicked on in a window on the second floor. Zim scaled the house, using his mechanical spider-like legs to hoist himself up onto the roof below the window.

From the open window, Zim heard a crash.

"They just don't get it, do they?"

Zim nearly laughed out loud and fell off of the roof. He had gotten it right. Zim was in the right place. The voice he had heard belonged to Dib.

"Why isn't my science fiction good enough for them?!" Dib yelled.

Zim giggled more. Science fiction. Even better.

He heard a sigh, and the sound of keys on a laptop being used rather aggressively.

"I might as well keep trying. I'll show them…"

The world fell into an edgy silence, the only sound being Dib's fingers on the keyboard.

Zim risked a peek into the window. The room was painted a dark blue, with black painted furniture. Dib sat at a desk in one corner, typing away at a laptop, a frustrated expression on his face. The room was bathed in a yellow light, giving it a warm appearance despite the dark colours.

The chair creaked as Dib shifted in his seat to stare at the window. Zim shot away and flattened himself against the rigid exterior of the house. If the Dib saw him, the entire mission would be endangered.

Zim heard a sigh and another creak. The human had turned back to his computer.

The typing had started again. Zim resumed his position at the window, watching the human, thinking about how hard it is to keep quiet for long amounts of time.

"Done," Dib stated, leaning back in his chair. He clicked a few times and left the room, possibly to get something to drink. Zim climbed through the window and collected the sheets of paper from the small printer across the room. He skimmed the pages, evil grin growing as he did. What Dib had spent all of that time working on was a short story about a boy and his archenemy, who was actually an alien. The alien repeatedly tried to take over the world, but the boy would always stop him. Or possibly the other way around.

Zim heard footsteps on the lower level. He would have to hurry. Zim plucked a red pen off of the desk and scribbled a quick note at the bottom of the last page.

 _Not all of the facts are correct. Your insufficient knowledge of this surprises m. Don't you remember all that happened? You said you might. Tick tock, Dib._

 _-Z_

The footsteps were getting closer to the room.

Zim clambered out of the window, dropping the papers and the pen as he did. He, once again, flattened himself against the exterior of the house as not to be seen.

When he was sure that he was safe, he jumped from the roof and sprinted down the street, back to the Voot.

Zim slumped into his seat in the Voot, breathing heavily. He had sprinted about two miles, and had arrived at the Voot in record time.

Nevertheless, he was happy. He had progressed in his mission, if ever so slightly, and had all of the time in the world to complete this mission.

Or, maybe not.

"Computer!" He said into a microphone on the console.

"What do you want?" The AI replied, bored.

"How long do I have here?"

"Well, the portal back to the dimension closes in two days,"

"Anything else?"

"Well, to put it poetically, you and the human are like candles underwater. You won't last much longer over there,"

"What? Less poetry!" Zim demanded.

"Your life forces are diminishing! You'll be dead in under forty-eight hours,"

Zim groaned and dismissed the computer. How could he not have anticipated this?

"We need to be out of here by the day after tomorrow," He grumbled.

That's when an idea struck him.

"GIR! Wake up, I have a plan!"

A/N: Annnnnnd that's a wrap! I am very sorry that this chapter seems a little short, even though I did add on to it. I really liked this one because I _finally_ got to write Dib. I find him a little easier to write than Zim, but that may just be wishful thinking. Let me know if you want me to include anything, or if you have any questions, comments or concerns. And, I had an idea that I may use in a future chapter, but I need to know if you people like that kind of thing. That idea is having Dib do something so confusing to Zim that he flips out. Well, let me know if you would like that, and if you have any ideas as to what this "confusing thing" should be. Well, I hope you enjoyed! If you liked this, continue reading, as reading is good for the human brain. Thanks!

(Also, I'm sorry about this long note…)

-Aerostripe


	4. Chapter 3

A Way With Words

Chapter Three

The next morning, Zim stood outside of the house, gripping his pen tightly. He rolled his plan over in his head once more and moved towards the house.

Once again, he scaled the house and approached the bedroom window. Despite how late in the morning it was, Dib was fast asleep, curled into a ball on the bed.

From a few years of experience of sneaking into Dib's room, Zim knew he was a heavy sleeper. Dib wouldn't wake up even if he fired a cannon. So, Zim rolled through the window and landed with a thud on the floor.

He scrambled to his feet and looked around the room, finally noticing how small it was. It was actually kind of claustrophobic. Anyways, he went to the desk and stared at the top of it, surprised to find no more than one piece of paper.

He uncapped his pen, about to write a note, when he noticed various ridges on the paper. He traced one finger over them. They were words written backwards. He flipped the paper over and found a note, hastily scribbled.

 _Anyone-_

 _In the last note, I said that it would be the last one. Well, that wasn't true. I recently found out that I can control my body while my alter-ego is sleeping. So, I guess this proves my hypothesis of that I might be able to remember everything. Now I have a new hypothesis: My alter ego would remember who he really is, only if he had something to trigger the memories… Like a piece of equipment or something. Well, anyway, whoever you are, I read your note. My alter-ego didn't notice it. He did remember some things, but he just passed it off as spawn from his imagination. Thanks for the note, though. But 'Z' is what you're calling yourself? Man, what an awful alias. Whatever. I am going to leave a few more of these, read them well._

 _-Dib_

Zim almost laughed. The Dib _did_ remember everything, and the alter-ego had just forgot.

He flipped the paper over and thought of his plan. The majority of it would start at that moment. He pressed the pen to the paper and wrote his own note.

 _Is 'Z' really an awful alias? It was the most I could write, otherwise I would've been caught. Well, I guess that's what you always wanted, to catch me. I am going to use that hypothesis of yours to trigger your memories, then everything will be back to normal on that pitiful planet you call home. All I need is to know where you keep your paper. This sheet was all I could find._

 _-Z_

Zim recapped his pen and re-read his note. It gave away very little, and that was good. He put the paper underneath the laptop on the desk, where he was sure the real Dib would find it. He then went back out the window, wondering what time the Dib would wake.

Hours later, around eleven at night, Zim returned to the house.

Looking in the window, he found that the Dib was again asleep. Zim found it stupid, how humans spent the majority of their lives sleeping.

He entered for what was sure to be the last time. He picked up the laptop, which he held in one hand, and turned the paper to face him.

Underneath the note he left earlier, there was another note.

 _I won't trust you with all of my paper, but here is one sheet._

 _-Dib_

Zim groaned. Stupid human. Did the Dib not understand the importance of the matter?

Anyway, he used the paper provided and left a note, or rather a set of instructions.

 _I have instructions that are important for your continued existence._

 _You will remember everything_

 _Come to the woods at eight tomorrow morning. It's vague, I know, but just do it._

 _We will take down those that did this to you_

 _You save your own life by following these_

 _We will be enemies once more_

 _I will tell you the rest when you're there._

 _-Z_

Zim finished writing and placed the paper on top of the laptop, so the alter-ego would read it. The human turned in his sleep and yawned. Dib was awake. Zim would have to leave both quickly and quietly.

In his haste to leave, he knocked over a baseball bat that was leaning against the wall. It fell hard against the wood floor, clattering loudly.

Zim dove out the window, not caring that he almost broke his arm in the process. He stood and flattened himself against the wall. He heard a rustling of bedsheets as the boy clambered out of bed.

"Hello?" Dib's voice called.

Zim found it hard to stay quiet. Almost impossible.

He heard Dib pick the bat up from the ground. He heard a gasp as Dib found the note.

"Come to the woods at eight? I might as well, I need to know who was in my room," Dib stated, "I'll set my alarm for seven,"

Zim heard the boy press a few buttons on his electric alarm clock. He sighed. Now that he knew that Dib was coming, it made everything seem even more under pressure.

He walked back to the voot, clutching the arm that now had two rather large bruises on it. He only had another day to finish this, and there was a lot left to do.

He flew the voot to the woods that were on the outskirts of the town, almost reaching the enormous concrete wall that cased the town in.

He found a clearing with a lake, and landed his ship there. At least GIR would have something to do.

He got out and sat on the ground, leaning against the voot and hugging his knees to his chest. He watched as GIR played around in the water, and a restless sleep soon claimed him.

In the morning, he checked the time. He had a total of ten minutes to remove his disguise. He had been wearing it for the entire mission, and was beginning to bug him.

His contacts were worn from use, and the wig was all screwed up and messy, but he could fix that once that was all over. He stretched and blinked. It felt nice to get out of his disguise.

He heard footsteps coming closer, and faced the lake.

"Okay, who are you and what do you want?" Dib's voice asked.

Zim turned and smirked. Dib's eyes widened, clearly showing the emotion of shock.

Zim looked at his wrist and studied an imaginary watch.

"Reaction in three…two…one," He said, counting down.

He heard a thud and looked up.

Dib was laying on the forest floor, passed out.

Ten minutes later, Zim watched as Dib awoke. Dib stared up at Zim for a few seconds, before groaning and smacking his palm to his forehead.

"Why did it have to be you?" He asked, staring up at the heavens.

He remembered everything, sure.

But he couldn't believe who had come to save him.

prepare for author's note

A/N: Hello! This was awesome. I initially wanted to have Dib and Zim give notes back and forth, but that wouldn't really fit into the parameters of my "three days" thing. Also, I didn't mention the Well, if you like this story, you might find this important: I might not be uploading for about 1.5 weeks, as I am going to go on vacation and I won't have access to a computer for that amount of time. Sorry! I will be writing additional chapters in my notebook, so then I would only have to type, edit and upload them. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you will keep reading, as reading is good for the human brain. Thanks!

~Aerostripe


	5. Chapter 4

A Way With Words

Chapter Four

"So, the plan is pretty much to try and get help from your other worldly counterpart?" Dib asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

They were in the voot, flying just above the treetops. It hadn't taken Dib too long to get up from the forest floor, and they had gotten moving very quickly.

"What did I say last time?" Zim groaned.

"I was just trying to get some conformation,"

"Like the last fifty times?"

The human did not reply. Zim landed the voot near the edge of the forest, in a clearing that could just barely fit the tiny starship.

The two carefully stepped out of the cockpit, stepping over the sleeping form of GIR, who had been nestled between them.

They argued their way out of the forest, including the occasional _I hate you_. When they reached the edge, Zim did not give Dib time to gawk at the Irken Invasion that lay before them. Instead, he just pulled him along to behind the nearest dumpster.

"Are you going to explain?" Dib asked as Zim peered around the corner of the dumpster.

Zim shot back, flattening himself against the surface. "When we get there," he whispered, "I'll let him do it, he knows the entire story,"

They ran, hiding behind anything they could find; houses, superweapons, practically everything. Eventually, they stood in front of the small masqueraded base, purple in color, windows smashed.

Zim marched up to the door and knocked three times before stepping back, staring at the door expectantly. It creaked open, and a single lightish-red eye studied them from behind the door. It opened wider to reveal the occupant of the house. He pointed a crooked finger at Dib, then Zim.

"So, you succeeded then?" He asked, even though it wasn't much of a question.

"Yes, yes, I did. Superior, right? Anyway, I need your help," Zim replied.

The alternate Zim smirked. "You're asking for help?"

"We _are_ the same person, so I know you've been helping,"

The other one laughed and stepped out of the way, letting them in.

"I have been researching, and I know who kidnapped him," The other stated as they took one of the many elevators into the depths of the base.

"Oh?"

"You are not going to find this… pleasing,"

Zim shot a quick glance at the human standing behind him, who had a look of complete and utter confusion on his face.

"Tell me,"

The three stepped out of the elevator.

"The Almighty Tallest," The alternate one explained, "The ones from this dimension,"

Zim fell silent. To him, that was certainly unexpected.

"Maybe they think that they can get to you guys through me," Dib thought aloud, "but that's totally implausible, he doesn't care for me at all," He pointed at Zim.

The alternate Zim exhaled quickly, as if it was some sort of laugh.

They walked to a conference room of sorts, except it was only chairs, with some sort of projector in the middle of them all.

They sat down, with the Alternate Zim sitting in between the two dimensional foreigners. He tapped at the control pad on the arm of his chair, and the projector came to life, instantly spitting maps and images across the room.

"If it is the Tallest, then we're going to need some sort of distraction," Zim stated.

"I propose that I distract them, while you two escape," the alternate one suggested.

"Actually, we were going to try to-"Dib started.

"There isn't enough time for that," Zim interrupted, "They have layers upon layers of security, not to mention that they were trained to be Invaders,"

"So, I guess leaving him to die is our only choice,"

"Since when do you care for my well-being?!"

"I don't!"

The alternate Zim snickered, and the two others' heads whipped around to glare at him.

"So it's settled then? I send myself to my death and you two get out of here before you die?" He asked, almost jokingly.

The two dimensional foreigners sighed and agreed, their argument officially coming to an end.

 **(PLEASE INSERT LINE BREAK HERE)**

Zim handed his counterpart a small metallic wristband, surrounded by red and blue blinking lights.

"Um, Zim? What are you doing?" Dib asked, watching from a few paces away.

"It's a communication device, human fool," Zim said simply. He held up his hand, where there was an identical wristband.

The alternate Zim slipped the wristband onto his wrist, and tightened it. "It's so you can hear what's going on when I'm in the Massive,"

The three had flattened themselves against the hull of the Massive, trying to stay hidden from the various lookouts on the retractable balconies above.

"Well, here I go,"

The alternate Zim disappeared around the corner, running as fast as he could.

"And now we wait," Zim muttered under his breath.

After about an hour, the communication device crackled to life.

" _Hello, My Tallest,"_ The alternate Zim's voice said, almost too smoothly.

Muffled conversation was heard. The other Zim must have been handcuffed, because the communication device let out an obnoxiously loud beeping noise.

"Let's go," Zim whispered.

When Dib didn't move, Zim grabbed his arm and ran into the bleary sunlight.

Dib soon fell behind, Zim's grip slipping to his hand.

It wasn't safe to be running during the day, especially since they were being shot at by Irken guards.

They made it to the cover of the trees, Dib quickly looking back to see their accomplice be pushed from a balcony, a blank expression on his face.

Dib stopped, the shock starting to register on his face. In an attempt to get him moving, Zim put a hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing you can do. Let's _go_ ,"

They ran back to the voot and clambered in, waking up GIR in the process.

" _GIR_! We're leaving!"

They took off, flying directly towards the sun, Zim and Dib with their eyes shut tightly, GIR telling Zim which way to adjust.

The world went dark- pitch black- and soon lightened to a muddy gray.

GIR shouted in success, before looking out the window.

Dib opened his eyes and flattened himself against the seat, almost as if he was trying to disappear.

Zim glanced out the window, before taking a second, longer look.

"What the-"the two said in unison.

The world stretched before them, a gray wasteland, completely covered in crumpled buildings and graves.

 **A/N: I apologize for that. I just thought that this needed a little more sadness. Anyway, keep reading, yada-yada, I just hope that you want me to continue. Adios!**


	6. Chapter 5

A Way With Words

Chapter Five

"We need to land," Dib said, " _Now_ ,"

"Do you _really_ want me to land on a pile of the dead?" Zim replied.

"Well, not if they're _out_ of the ground!"

Despite what Dib had said, Zim waited until he found a spot that was clear of headstones. It wasn't like he didn't have any respect.

Upon exiting the voot and setting foot on the dusty ground, Dib looked around for any signs of life.

"You think that we're in a different dimension?" He asked.

"Impossible. I'm assuming that the Tallest opened the connection between only our dimension and theirs,"

Zim turned around and faced the voot, where his little robot was staring out onto the world with a forlorn expression.

"GIR, I need you to stay here while the human and I explore," He said, trying to have enough patience.

The robot nodded before sitting down, leaning against the wall.

Zim closed the door to the voot and turned back to Dib, who was nervously glancing around at the graves.

They walked around to the opposite side of the voot, where a rather odd sight met their eyes.

It was their teacher, standing about ten feet away, staring at the ground and _smiling_.

"Ms. Bitters?" The two said in unison, obviously taken aback.

"No, no. Just the image of her," She said.

Her grin was crooked, almost murderous.

"Then _what_ are you?" Dib asked.

"Boys, isn't it obvious? I am _death_ ," the old woman answered, "I took this image so your eyeballs wouldn't be burned by seeing my true form,"

Zim raised a finger accusingly, but before he could say anything, a hand was clamped over his mouth.

"Could you tell us what happened here?" Dib asked nervously, shooting Zim a look that clearly said _shut up_.

"War. The Irken Empire came to Earth, looking for the final piece of universal domination. The humans put up a good fight, but in the end, nobody survived,"

"So, we're literally the last people on Earth?" Dib asked, praying in his mind that it wasn't true.

"Yes,"

"How do we fix this?"

"You don't," Her smile faltered the tiniest bit, "The apocalypse was bound to come eventually, and luckily, you missed it,"

With that, there was a gust of icy wind, and Death was gone. In her place, there was a single black feather, which floated to the ground and rested in the dust.

Dib's hand fell to his side, uncovering Zim's mouth.

"Well that was useless," Dib said, staring at the feather.

"Thanks, for stating the obvious, _human_ ,"

They walked in silence, glancing at the headstones one by one. The only things to remember the people by were small objects placed at the foot of the grave. One had a guitar string. Another had a box of salt and a small revolver. One even had a bible, opened to a page with a single highlighted sentence, of which was covered by the dust. An electronic beeping sound could be heard. Upon further investigation, a Game Slave was placed at the foot of one grave, and its battery was running low.

"Do you think that's…?" Dib stopped. He didn't want to say what came next.

"Yeah,"

Without thinking, Dib reached over and intertwined his fingers with Zim's.

"What are you doing?" Zim asked, glancing down at their hands.

"Reassurance," Dib replied, staring at the Game Slave.

"For what?"

"That you're still there,"

"Why would you want to know that I was still here?"

"Because being alone on the earth would be awful,"

Zim didn't argue. Instead, he just stood there.

He never knew what drove him to do it, but he held the other's hand tighter.

They walked on, hand in hand, looking for something- anything- that would help them.

To them, worst case would be to spend the rest of their lives trying to survive in a barren wasteland.

It was looking as if that scenario would come true.

Eventually, they came to the edge of town, where the Massive was laying on its side, just as gray as everything else.

The sight triggered memories of Zim's counterpart being pushed from the top of the Massive in the alternate dimension.

"What does this mean for you?" Dib asked, glancing over at Zim, who was squinting at the battleship, as if he didn't think it was quite real.

"This means that I am the last of the Irken Empire," Zim said, "Pity. I was kind of hoping that Scooge would survive. He survives everything,"

"Scooge?'

"Old accomplice,"

"I guess that we're together on this then," Dib sighed.

"It would seem so,"

Their hands stayed together, just for reassurance, nothing more.

 **(LINE BREAK I AM SORRY ABOUT ALL OF THE FLUFF)**

They walked back to the voot to find GIR, yet again, asleep.

The two sat around for a bit, trying to think of ways that they could survive without getting into a fight.

This is the part where a simple-minded person might think that I would tell you that they spent the rest of their days surviving in the wasteland that was Earth, using each other to the best of their abilities.

But that's not true.

Instead, Zim burst into a fit of nervous laughter.

"We could travel back in time, to before the war started!" he cried, almost hitting his head on the roof of the voot.

"That sounds great, but time travel doesn't exist," Dib snapped.

"Yes it does!" Zim argued, "I had parts in…my base,"

"We could see if your base is still standing,"

They clambered out of the voot, and raced off in the direction of Zim's odd little house, using only crumpled shells of buildings as their guide.

There it stood, colors faded, but still together. Zim's base was the only building left standing in the world.

They entered, taking an emergency stairwell into the depths of the base.

It didn't take long for Zim to find the parts. They were tiny, only an inch in diameter, and were shaped like discs, but were made completely out of aluminum-looking material.

They had a chance at bringing their worlds back, and they couldn't just let it pass by.

 **A/N: Yes, yes, I know that this chapter was a little bit messed up, with all of the graves and the hand holding and all of that. But I promise that the next chapters will be a little less confusing. Well, It was confusing in my opinion. Who would like to see more ZaDr in this story?** _ **Please respond!**_ **Anyway, continue reading, as reading is good for the human brain, and RESPOND TO MY QUESTION PLEASE. Adios!**


	7. Interlude

**Interlude**

You exit a video shop, carrying a bag filled with rented DVDs and video games. You think you might take a break at a nearby coffee shop, as you have been walking for quite a while. While you walk, you glance at the sky. It is a cloudless, beautiful day. You see a glint of metal in the mass of blue, and stop and stare curiously at it for a while. Slowly, the glint grew into a ball of fire hurtling towards the earth, aimed for the forest outside of the city. A silver glaze passes over your eyes. You stare emotionlessly at the sky. Suddenly, your head snaps back to look at the pavement in front of you. You march on, staring stonily ahead. After all, it was just a meteor.

 **I apologize for my absence. The next chapter will be up by 11/2/15 at the latest.**


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